BYU-Hawaii, HPU
will move up to
NCAA Division II

They'll join the Pacific West
Conference in 1998, joining
Chaminade and UH-Hilo

By Cindy Luis
Star-Bulletin

The Hawaii Intercollegiate Athletic Conference was a nice idea, but it didn't lead anywhere in terms of national prestige or postseason competition.

That should change a year from now. For the first time in nearly 10 years, Hawaii Pacific University, University of Hawaii-Hilo, Chaminade University and BYU-Hawaii will be back under the same national athletic umbrella.

Yesterday, Pacific West Conference officials announced that NAIA members Hawaii Pacific and BYU-Hawaii will become part of the NCAA Division II league as of the 1998-98 season, joining Hawaii-Hilo and Chaminade.

Adding the last two Hawaii schools completes the PacWest's expansion, which grows from seven to 13 teams with its absorption of the Pacific Northwest Athletic Conference.

The conference will be divided into two divisions, tentatively named Pacific and Mountain. The Pacific Division includes the four Hawaii schools, Alaska-Fairbanks, Alaska-Anchorage, Western New Mexico and Montana State-Billings.

The Mountain Division is comprised of Seattle Pacific, Central Washington, Lewis-Clark State, Saint Martin's and Western Washington. Two provisional members -- Simon Fraser and Western Oregon -- will become part of the division when they move from Division III status next year, increasing the number of teams to 15.

Joining an established conference will make scheduling life much easier for BYU-Hawaii and HPU, which have scrambled to get games for their men's basketball and soccer and women's volleyball teams. The two schools have struggled as a two-team conference known as NAIA Far West-Hawaii.

"Scheduling-wise, the pooling together of 15 schools is exciting," said BYU-Hawaii athletic director and men's basketball coach Ken Wagner.

The new PacWest Conference will continue to sponsor championships in men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country and women's volleyball. At least for next season, women's volleyball will not have an automatic berth in the Division II national tournament.

But that will change, Alaska-Anchorage volleyball coach Kerri Major promises.

"This is volleyball prestige, adding the two Hawaii schools," Major, a former University of Hawaii Wahine assistant, said last night. "This makes us the Pac-10 of Division II, the top volleyball conference in the country."

Top-ranked BYU-Hawaii has won seven NAIA volleyball titles, including the last three. Hawaii Pacific has won one (1990). Hawaii-Hilo won five NAIA championships and two AIAW Division II titles before moving to NCAA Division II in 1994-95.

"This merger is a great thing for college athletics because it addresses two major concerns: cutting travel costs and enhancing the experience of the athletes and their loyal fans," Gary Gray, athletic director at Montana State-Billings and president of the Pacific West Conference, said yesterday. "It also strengthens the PacWest, making it truly one of the most respected and successful NCAA Division II conferences in the nation."

There still are a number of questions to be answered, however. The PacWest does not sponsor championships for three sports in which the Hawaii schools compete: men's and women's tennis and women's softball.

Since none of the four Hawaii schools sponsor women's basketball, that sport will consist of one nine-team division next year.

Chaminade joined the PacWest in 1991 and Hawaii-Hilo in 1993.